Early Optical Follow-Up Observations of Einstein Probe X-Ray Transients During the First Year
We present early follow-up observations of Einstein Probe (EP) X-ray transients, following its first year of operation. EP is a dedicated wide-field X-ray observatory that is transforming our understanding of the dynamic X-ray universe. During its first year, EP successfully detected a diverse range of high-energy transients—including gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), tidal disruption events (TDEs), and fast X-ray transients (FXTs), besides many stellar flares, disseminating 128 alerts in the aggregate. Ground-based optical follow-up observations, particularly those performed by our BOOTES telescope network, have played a crucial role in multi-wavelength campaigns carried out so far. Out of the 128 events, the BOOTES Network has been able to follow up 58 events, detecting 6 optical counterparts at early times. These complementary optical measurements have enabled rapid identification of counterparts, precise redshift determinations (such as EP250215a at z=4.61), and detailed characterization of the transient phenomena. The synergy between EP’s cutting-edge X-ray monitoring and the essential optical follow-up provided by facilities, such as the above-mentioned BOOTES Global Network or other Spanish ground-based facilities we have access to, underscores the importance and necessity of coordinated observations in the era of time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics.
Authors
- Sergiy Guziy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2628-6468)
- Maria Gritsevich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4268-6277)
- Carlos J. Pérez-del-Pulgar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5819-8310)
- Emilio J. Fernández-García
- S. S. Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7113-8258)
- Y. D. Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7400-4608)
- Dingrong Xiong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6809-9575)
- A. J. Castro‐Tirado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2999-3563)
- R. Sánchez-Ramírez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7158-5099)
- Ignacio Pérez-García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7273-3671)
- M. D. Caballero‐García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7920-4564)
- Bin‐Bin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4111-5958)
- Guillermo García Segura
Institutions
- Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University (UA)
- Ural Federal University (RU)
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics (SE)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- Guangxi University (CN)
- Universidad de Granada (ES)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Yunnan Observatories (CN)
- Ensenada Institute of Technology (MX)
- Institute of Physics and Technology (RU)
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (ES)
- Universidad de Málaga (ES)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Galaxies
- Published
- 2025-05-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies13030062
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.15
Funders
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
- Academy of Finland
- China Scholarship Council
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- Ural Federal University
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación